Damaged Innocence and Pure Deceit
by specialbus
Summary: Harriet Lily Potter discovers her whole life has been a lie due to Dumbledore's manipulations. As the year progresses she must adapt to the info she's found and seek out new friends or she'll be the headmasters puppet for the rest of her life. Rated M for later chapters. Contains: Fem!Harry, Character bashing, Dark!Harry in later chapters and mentions of abuse. (HP/TMR/LV)
1. Chapter 1 - Everything Was A Lie

**I don't have a beta or a wand to magically correct my spelling, grammar and punctuation mistakes so please be patient. I do proof read my work but it's more than likely I missed something. Also I know it's a short chapter but I have a word document with around 9 thousand words in it for this story and I only posted a small bit of it because I wanted to see if people liked it.**

 **If you like it please review and let me know so I can post another chapter. Enjoy.**

 **DISCLAIMER:** **I don't own Harry Potter or any of it's characters. Honestly if I did, Tom Riddle, Draco Malfoy and Harry Potter would all get better endings and Ginny wouldn't even have a chance.**

"Speech"

 **Flashback**

 _ **Letters and notes**_

Harriet Lily Potter sank into her seat at Gryffindor table with a feeling of dread as the 'oh so caring' headmaster stood up to start his normal beginning of year ramble. She glanced at her 'friends' to see them whispering to each other and began to ask herself how she didn't notice the slight sneer or smirk they gave her over the past 3 years, it seemed so obvious now that they didn't care about her. How could she have been so stupid that she would think anyone wanted to be friends with her? With tears prickling at the back of her eyes, she remembered when she found out.

 **Flashback**

 **She sat on the bed packing her trunk for the next day and trying not to aggravate her most recent injuries, when suddenly a loud squawk interrupted the soothing silence. Jumping up Harriet saw Fawkes sitting on the desk watching her with sorrowful eyes. She noticed he clutched a letter in his talons and frowned when she spotted Dumbledore's familiar slanted writing. What's Dumbledore writing to me for? She asked Fawkes curiously but the Phoenix just let out a noise of despair, dropped the letter, and vanished in a flash of flame. Picking up the abandoned letter, Harry realised it was addressed to Ron, Hermione and the Weasleys. She shook her head and put it back down. It wasn't her letter. However, an uncomfortable feeling in her gut other than the bruises made her think about what just happened. Fawkes, Dumbledore's Phoenix and familiar, had appeared in her bedroom looking forlorn and dropped a letter addressed to Hermione, Ron and the Weasleys before once again disappearing, leaving the letter behind on purpose. Maybe Fawkes wanted me to read it, She thought as she snatched up the letter and opened it carefully. As she read it she realised in horror why Fawkes wanted her to have this letter.**

 ** _The letter_**

 ** _Dear Miss Granger, Mr Weasley and the rest of the household_**

 ** _I am writing to inform you that the money has successfully transferred into your vaults. I congratulate you all on your marvellous performances, Harriet doesn't suspect a thing. I would like to warn you that this year will be a particular trying year; you may find it difficult to keep up the pretence of being her friends. Don't worry, I have thought of everything. Please come visit my office after the start of term feast to hear what I have in store for Miss Potter this year and make sure she doesn't think anything's going on._**

 ** _Yours sincerely_**

 ** _Albus Wilfric Brian Percival Dumbledore;_**

 ** _Supreme mugwump champion_**

 ** _Order of Merlin first class_**

 ** _Chief Warlock of the wizengamot_**

 ** _Head of Hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry._**

Suddenly I was jolted out of my thoughts as everyone began to cheer and shout. Confused I glanced around and saw Ron and Hermione watching me.

"Are you going to enter?" Ron muttered. I tilted my head and whispered back "what do you mean? Enter what?" Hermione nudged me hard in my already injured ribs causing me to wince slightly.

"The Triwizard tournament of course! You need to stop daydreaming and pay attention." She scolded. I just played along and said, "No, I don't think I would want to. I've had enough trouble for the past three years I think I should just relax this year and focus on school work." Ron looked at me dumbfounded then replied, "I suppose you don't really need the money or eternal glory that comes with winning. You and that bloody scar, don't know why you should be famous because of it." The last bit he mumbled under his breath but I pretended not to hear him.

After the feast, Ron and Hermione said they needed to sort out their timetable or something. I nodded and smiled telling them it was fine and that they should go. As soon as I was up in the dorm, I collapsed on my bed, pulled the curtains shut, and after a quick silencing and privacy spell, took off my glamour and began to cry. I couldn't believe how oblivious I was to not see the falseness behind their behaviour. I cried myself to sleep dreading the next day.


	2. Chapter 2 - The Truth Comes Out

**Here's the next part as the last chapter managed to get four favourites and 6 follows. I hope you like this chapter and it's also longer than the first one. Please leave me a review to let me know if you like it and if you like it I'll post another chapter which may or may not include some Draco Malfoy and Harriet banter ;)**

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 **DISCLAIMER:** **I still don't own Harry Potter or any of it's characters. If I did, Harry and Draco would be really good friends or more and Tom Riddle would survive. (coz I'm a bit strange and found him hot in the second film. like damn. XD. )**

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"Speech"

 **Flashback**

 _ **Letters and notes**_

* * *

The next morning I crept down into the great hall much earlier than everyone else in Gryffindor so I could have some peace before the day began properly. As I sat down and began to nibble at some toast, I heard a loud guffaw of laughter from the other end of the hall. I glanced over at the Slytherin table warily and saw Crabbe and Goyle clapping each other on the back. I looked at Malfoy, expecting him to be smirking or even glaring at his henchmen due to their loud laughter so early in the morning, but was shocked to see him watching me with a strange look on his face. I gulped and looked down at my toast nervously, waiting for him to storm over and demand why I was staring or to make snide remarks about me being all alone, however nothing happened. I quickly flicked my eyes back up to see him still watching me but this time with anger on his face. Terrified I quickly put my food back down and began to walk out of the hall, making sure to be quiet and not attract any attention. I kept walking with my head down until I reached the library and let out a breath of relief.

Without anyone noticing me, I slipped into the back of the library and sat at a table in the corner trying to calm my panicked breathing. Finally calmed down, I rested my head in my hands and began to think of ways I could avoid Ron and Hermione without them realising that I know about their deal with Dumbledore. I was shaken from my thoughts when a sudden cough alerted me to the presence of another person. I swallowed nervously and raised my head to see Malfoy standing over me. I squeaked almost silently in shock and jolted back, fear flooding my body. I fell on the floor and looked up at Malfoy, anxiously shaking as I waited for him to begin his usual taunts and insults. He just looked down at me with a confused and almost pitying face before walking forward. I whimpered and scooted back hitting a wall. He continued to walk closer until he was standing right over me and then crouched down, reaching out a hand. Instinctively I flinched and whispered, "Please don't hurt me". His hand drew back and he seemed to be contemplating something.

"I wasn't going to; I wanted to help you off the floor." He replied slowly as he surveyed my trembling form. I gulped and mumbled "oh, s...sorry." He looked shocked and asked, "Why did you just say sorry?" I felt tears threatening to spill and shook my head muttering; "I don't know" he sighed and sat across from me, his gaze never moving. I avoided his eyes and stared at the ground wishing it would just open and swallow me. "Potter, what's happened to you? You've barely said a word to anyone since we arrived, you're always lost in thought, you're not eating, you practically ran from the great hall just because I looked at you and you flinched back asking for me to not hurt you," Malfoy stated causing me to look up. I opened my mouth to make up a lie but nothing came out. I could feel a tear slowly leaking from the corner of my eye and I sniffed trying to pull myself together. Malfoys eyes were still on me as I reached for my wand which caused him to tense up slightly but I pointed it at myself and muttered the counter charm to my glamour spell.

Malfoy stared at me in concern as he took in my real appearance. My eyes were bruised and swollen, my nose was at a weird angle from setting wrong after being broken multiple times, my lips were scabbed and swollen, my neck had hand shaped bruises around it, my hair was dull and limp, my green eyes were empty and dead, my waxy skin clung to my bones showing how malnourished I was, my face was covered in cuts and scars, the famous scar on my head had been reopened a few minutes before I had walked through platform 9 3/4 so that was an angry red with dried blood surrounding it and my scarily thin body was littered with scars, bruises and scabbed over cuts. "Merlins beard, Potter you look like an inferi." Exclaimed Malfoy "who did this to you?" I shook as my walls began to crumble and started to sob silently. I managed to gasp out "my family" between sobs but before Malfoy could reply we heard the chatter of students, signalling the majority of the school was now awake and headed towards the great hall for breakfast and to get their timetables for this year's lessons. I quickly grabbed my wand and cast the glamour again before anyone else saw my broken body. Malfoy stood up and reached his hand out to help me up with a small smile. I smiled sadly and nodded my thanks before we both went our separate ways.

By the time I got to the hall, everyone was eating and talking loudly while the heads of houses were giving out the timetables. I slipped in between Hermione and Ron who immediately started to bombard me with questions about where I had been. I just shook them off by saying "I went for a walk around the castle because I couldn't get back to sleep and no one was awake from our house". They accepted my answer and began to carry on with their own discussions while I looked around the room and met the eyes of Malfoy who was looking at me with pity. I sighed and looked at the timetable Professor McGonagall had placed in my hands.

Monday- double potions, break, divination, lunch, double care of magical creatures.

Tuesday- double transfiguration, break, charms, lunch, defence against the dark arts, and history of magic

Wednesday- double defence against the dark arts, break, history of magic, lunch, double charms

Thursday- double history of magic, break, transfiguration, lunch, care of magical creatures, potions

Friday- double divination, break, defence against the dark arts, lunch, double potions

I had never seen such a miserable timetable; today was Monday so I had double potions first thing. I stood up and walked out of the hall with Ron and Hermione walking behind me whispering to each other. I shivered from the cold as I descended towards my impending doom. Professor Snape had an extreme hatred for me and I knew that it didn't matter how much I tried he always managed to deduct house points from me and give me a detention before it had even been a week.


	3. Chapter 3 - Having A Bad Day

**Here' the next part, it's much longer than the previous ones and it's got a bit of humour in the start. It does get a bit dark near the end but it's the way this fic is. There's some funny moments but then there's something to remind you this isn't a fluffy happy fic. I hope you understand the way i've written this and i hope you like it.**

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 **DISCLAIMER:** **I STILL don't own Harry Potter or any of it's characters. Tom Riddle would have won with Harry and Draco on his side. Why? coz he's hot XD**

 **TISH= Tom Is So Hot (signals the passing of time coz why not? :P)**

"Speech"

 **Flashback**

 _ **Letters and notes**_

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I stopped outside the classroom door with the rest of the Gryffindor's. There was a small amount of chatter but when the door slammed open silence fell, like a cloud of darkness seeping into the souls of the students and eliminating the fun and cheery moods. I breathed in deeply to calm myself as Snape glared at the students huddled outside his classroom.

"Don't just stand there waiting for Christmas, get inside and turn to the first page in your books." Snape snapped and strode into the classroom, his cloak billowing out behind him. I hurriedly sat at a desk in the back and closest to the corner. Ron and Hermione sat in front of me with the excuse that Ron wanted to copy off of Hermione and that Ron and I never concentrated when we sat together. I gave them my best fake smile and sank back in my chair, desperately trying to blend in with the shadows. Snape began his usual lecture about safety and how stupid everyone was. A small bang caused everyone's heads to swivel to the door. Malfoy stood there in the doorway breathing heavily as if he had ran the whole way round the castle.

Snape frowned slightly but only said, "good morning Mr Malfoy, sit down and we will begin." I glanced around and noticed the only empty seat was next to me. "Yes, sir" drawled Malfoy who sat himself gracefully in the seat. I saw Ron and Hermione smirking at each other in the low light as they saw Malfoy next to me. I ignored them and leaned further into the darkness, willing it to hide me from the world around me. Snape's droning voice began to fade as I zoned out and pondered whether this sorry excuse for a life was worth continuing. My parents were dead, the Dursleys had abused me my whole life, Dumbledore knew of it but still forced me to return there every summer, my friends were actually being paid to act as friends, Dumbledore was using me as a pawn to win a war that hadn't even started yet, I was failing most of my classes because my 'friends' were distracting me, probably on Dumbledore's orders, I had no one to talk to except my godfather Sirius Black but he was on the run meaning I couldn't contact him, my only real friend was my owl Hedwig and I bet that Dumbledore was planning on somehow entering me into the Triwizard tournament.

"Miss Potter!" A voice shouted, immediately snapping me out of it. "Could you repeat what I just said?" Snape sneered looming over my desk. "E...Erm..." I stuttered blushing in embarrassment, "he was talking about Polyjuice potions". Breathed Malfoy so quietly I barely even heard him. "Y...you were talking about P...Polyjuice potions." I said stumbling over my words. Snape's sneer was replaced with shock and then it was back again. "Ah so you were paying attention, well then could you tell me how long it takes to brew a Polyjuice potion?" He said in a loud condescending tone so that the whole class could hear. He strolled to the front and leant back on his desk, his black eyes locked onto me. My gaze flickered to Ron and Hermione who were smiling at me knowing that I knew the answer. "It takes about a month sir." I stated so he could hear. He scowled and muttered "that is correct Miss Potter." I felt relieved but he continued "however as you were staring off into space and I had to call your name several times, that will be 5 points from Gryffindor and a detention with me after Fridays lesson." He smirked and began to continue teaching the class as I sank into my chair with a sigh. I looked across to Malfoy and whispered "thanks". Malfoy just nodded and mouthed back "don't worry about it; he's just in a bad mood today". I smiled slightly and mumbled, "When isn't he in a bad mood." Malfoy chuckled quietly and replied "true, true". He turned his attention back towards Snape and so did I, marking the end of the conversation.

After Potions was break, which I used to escape to one of the girls bathrooms and touch up my glamour which had begun to wear off. When I had finished with that, it was the end of break and I had divination with Ron. I sighed in despair and dragged myself to the divination tower. Ron was already sitting at one of the horribly coloured table clothed tables. I dropped onto the pouf opposite him and waited for the inevitable prediction of my death. Something Professor Trelawney had a habit of doing; she even once predicted my death five times in one lesson last year and each one in a different way. I heard the clatter of beads and huffed as professor Trelawney appeared next to our table, her many necklaces and bracelets rattling every time she moved.

"Hello again my dears, I welcome you all back for another year of divination. I must however warn you, this year will be filled with danger and hardships. Friends will turn against each other and enemies shall call truce, but the real danger comes from an unlikely source. As time goes on it will become clearer but for now I urge you all to be cautious." She said in a dreamy voice. I looked at Ron and rolled my eyes in disbelief at her statement but my mind was reeling at how accurate it sounded with the current events. Ron smirked and mocked her voice "oh my dears, this year is dangerous you're all going to die" I laughed but caught the uneasiness in Ron's eyes. He also was shocked with how relevant her comments were. Professor Trelawney sat down at our table and asked if she could hear our attempts at palm reading. I shrugged and reached to take Ron's hand but as I was about to touch it she let out a loud gasp. "You! You will have a very troublesome year and your deepest darkest secrets will be found out, maybe sooner than you think." I frowned in confusion until I realised she was talking to Ron. I looked at him and saw his face had paled slightly and he was shaking a bit. I pretended not to notice and rolled my eyes again. Professor Trelawney then turned to me and predicted, "My dear, this year you cannot trust anyone. There are many who look to bring you down and a great danger will cross your path. It is up to you what happens then but in the meantime, keep to yourself and be aware of your surroundings. Failure to heed my warning will most likely result in your violent torture and eventual death." I shuddered and nodded but as soon as she walked away, I turned to Ron, muttering "what a crazy old bat. If I had died every time she predicted it I would have died almost 50 times already." Ron grinned and replied, "yeah, Hermione was right, she's such a fraud." I faked a smirk and turned back to the work we had been set.

At lunch I told my 'friends' I was going to try and do some of the potions homework that Snape had dumped on all of us and, when they protested against it, saying I should do it later on with them in the common room, I just shook my head and replied, "I think I would concentrate a bit better on it in the library. You know how loud the common room gets plus the library probably has some useful books that might help with the essay he set us." They reluctantly agreed that I was right and I felt a small sense of triumph as I began the journey to the library. Arriving at the same table, I had sat on earlier that morning I breathed in and out in relief. I set out all the things I would need for my potions homework and started to write. Ten minutes after I had started, a shadow loomed over me and when I glanced up, I saw Snape standing there with surprise and confusion on his face. I waited for him to speak but all he did was push a rolled up piece of parchment into my hands and exited without saying a word. Unravelling the parchment, I felt anxious when all it said was:

 _ **Your detention will be straight after the lesson on Friday so bring all of the things you need with you to the lesson.**_

What was I doing? I groaned with realisation, I would be late to the feast on Friday which is when the other two schools would be arriving with their students who were eligible to enter for the Triwizard tournament. When they had arrived and the feast was done, Dumbledore was going to introduce the impartial judge for the tournament. I had overheard the Weasley twins and their friend Lee Jordan talking about ways to influence the judge to let them submit their names. Ron kept commenting on how if they found a way round the age restriction then we should enter and no matter how many times I told him I didn't want to, he insisted we still try if they managed it.

Unable to focus anymore, I packed up my things and began walking to the great hall. When I arrived I noticed that Ron and Hermione were absent and when I sat down and glanced at the staff table I saw Dumbledore's chair was also empty. I looked down at the food on my plate and pushed it around with my fork unhappily. A tap on the shoulder made me jump and drop my fork with a clatter. Turning round I saw no one there and felt a bit freaked out.

"Hey psst" whispered a voice in my ear. "Meet me in the owlery after care of magical creatures." I gulped and nodded to show whomever the voice belonged to that I would be there.

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 _ **TISHTISHTISHTISHTISHTISHTISHTISHTISHTISHTISHTISHTISHTISHTISHTISHTISHTISHTISHTISHTISHTISHTISHTISHTISHTISHTISHTISHTISHTISHTISHTISHTISHTISHTISHTISHTISHTISHTISHTISHTISHTISHTISHTISHTISHTISHTISHTISHTISHTISHTISHTISHTISHTISHTISHTISHTISHTISH**_

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Later on I slowly trudged up the steps to the owlery, my breaths coming out in pants as the movement jarred my battered ribs. My eyes surveyed the messy room when I finally climbed all the stairs and I stumbled forwards to lean on the wall. Low hoots from above me caused my head to tilt up and I saw my loyal owl Hedwig gazing down at me with her huge amber eyes full of concern. Weakly I smiled at her and she gracefully drifted down and landed on my shoulder. Her claws dug in a bit but i barely even felt it, I was used to pain by now. Suddenly a noise from across the dimly lit room made me jump in surprise and Hedwig hooted indignantly as she was jolted. With a shaky hand, I caressed her feathers and looked around with wide eyes searching for the source. An orange flash caught my attention and before I knew it, I was pinned against the hard stone wall by Ron Weasley and Hedwig had squawked, flying up into the rafters.

Terrified, I struggled desperately trying to escape his grip but he was too strong and without warning, he began to forcefully kiss me. I yelped and whimpered in despair, dreading what he was going to do to me. His hands roamed my body, groping at me and tugging on my clothing. Silent sobs shook my body as Ron's hands slipped beneath my t-shirt and up my stomach. I closed my eyes, tears rolling down my face and waited for it all to be over. Suddenly there was a loud smack and a thud. I felt Ron pulling at my clothes but, after a second, he was gone and I opened my eyes warily. Standing over Ron, who was on the floor clutching at his nose and mouth, was Draco Malfoy, his face bright pink and his hands clenched into fists. Draco felt my gaze and snapped his attention to me, a look of worry and concern flitting across his face. He quickly walked over to me and held my arm to help steady me. Wobbling, I collapsed into Draco's arms, small whimpers bursting from my mouth. He didn't seem to mind as he just held me tighter and half carried me out of the owlery.

Carefully Draco set me down on one of the infirmary beds and called for Madame Pomphrey. After looking at me then back to Draco with a suspicious expression, the woman pulled Draco to the side and enclosed my bed with the normal curtains. I couldn't hear their conversation so I just leant back against the soft white pillows and let my mind wander once again. Before long Madame Pomphrey came through the curtains followed by Draco and gave me a pitying smile. Holding out a potion that seemed to appear from thin air, Madame Pomphrey waved her wand and transfigured my clothes into hospital pyjamas. Gulping down the dreamless sleep potion, I sighed in relief and slipped into a deep, peaceful slumber.


	4. Chapter 4 - Draco's Disastrous Day

**This is an entire chapter from Draco's POV. This will explain some of the questions you guys might have, like why he was angry in the great hall and why he was late to potions. :P Let me know if you want the next chapter in Draco's or Harriets point of view.**

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 **DISCLAIMER:** **I STILL don't own Harry Potter or any of it's characters. *Sighs longingly***

"Speech"

 **Flashback**

 _ **Letters and notes**_

* * *

 **Draco's POV:**

Blocking out the old man's nonsense speech, I surveyed Gryffindor table for a familiar face. Harriet Lily Potter. We'd been enemies for three years ever since she refused my friendship the first time we got the train. It didn't take long to pick her out from the rest of the house and when I took in her less than enthusiastic attitude towards her friends and the glazed look in her eyes, I knew there was something wrong. Everyone around me erupted in excited shouts, most likely because Dumbledore announced the Triwizard tournament being held this year, and I saw Potter jump slightly. The mudblood elbowed her viciously in the side and I noticed the pained look on Potter's face. Shaking my head I looked away and decided to find out more about the way Potter was acting tomorrow.

The next morning as I sat at the Slytherin table with my friends I noticed a lone Gryffindor quietly sitting down and taking miniscule bites out of a single piece of toast. Confused as to why Potter was in the great hall so early, I decided to put the training I had over the holidays into use. Carefully so I didn't get noticed, I began to delve into the golden girl's mind. I came across a memory that involved a Phoenix and let myself get drawn into it so I could watch what happened. This gave my eyes an unfocused look for the duration of the memory but when it had finished they flashed in anger.

Suddenly Potter dropped the barely touched slice of bread and stood up, walking quickly out of the hall with her head down. Making a split second decision, I grabbed my bag and followed her to the library. When I knew where she was heading I slowed down and let her have some time to calm down. I walked through the library looking at the books as I went.

I passed the last row of bookshelves and spotted Potter sitting at a lone table with her head on her arms. I cleared my throat to alert her to the presence of another person. She swallowed nervously and raised her head to see me standing over her. She squeaked almost silently in shock and jolted back, fear evident on her pale face. She fell on the floor and looked up at me, anxiously shaking as she waited for me to begin my usual taunting but I just looked down at her letting my confusion and sympathy show on my face before walking forward. She whimpered and scooted back hitting a wall. I continued to walk closer until i was standing right over her and then crouched down, reaching out a hand. Instinctively, it seemed, she flinched and whispered

"Please don't hurt me." I drew my hand back and contemplated whether I should let her know that I knew about her so called friends.

"I wasn't going to; I wanted to help you off the floor." I replied slowly instead as I surveyed her trembling form. She gulped and mumbled "oh, s…sorry." I was so shocked I let my mask slip but I shook myself and asked, "Why did you just say sorry?" Her eyes were brimming with tears threatening to spill but she shook her head muttering, "I don't know" I sighed and sat across from her, my gaze never moving. She avoided my eyes and stared at the ground almost as if she was wishing it would just open and swallow her. "Potter, what's happened to you? You've barely said a word to anyone since we arrived, you're always lost in thought, you're not eating, you practically ran from the great hall just because I looked at you and you flinched back asking for me to not hurt you" I stated causing the troubled girl to look up. She opened her mouth to make up a lie but nothing came out. I noticed a tear slowly leaking from the corner of her eye and she sniffed trying to pull herself together. My eyes were still on her as she reached for her wand which caused me to tense up slightly but instead if hexing me she pointed it at herself and muttered the counter charm to a glamour spell.

I stared at her in concern as I finally took in the real appearance of the girl who lived. The skin around her eyes were bruised and swollen, er nose was at a weird angle from setting wrong after being broken multiple times, her lips were scabbed and swollen, there were hand shaped bruises around her neck, her dark hair was dull and limp, her usually bright green eyes were empty and dead, her waxy skin clung to her bones showing how malnourished she was, the entirety of her face was covered in cuts and scars, the famous scar on her head was an angry red with dried blood surrounding it as if someone had tried to reopen the wound and her scarily thin body was littered with scars, bruises and scabbed over cuts. "Merlins beard, Potter you look like an inferi." I exclaimed, "who did this to you?" once again she shook as her carefully constructed walls began to crumble and started to sob silently. She managed to gasp out "my family" between sobs but before I could reply we heard the chatter of students, signalling the majority of the school was now awake and headed towards the great hall for breakfast and to get their timetables for this year's lessons. She quickly grabbed her wand and cast the glamour again before anyone else saw her poor broken body. I stood up and reached my hand out to help the abused girl up with a small smile. She just smiled sadly and nodded her thanks before we both went our separate ways.

I sat at the Slytherin table and began to form a plan in my head. I desperately needed to inform an adult but unfortunately I had no idea who to trust. I glanced up and caught Potter's eye. She looked away looking defeated and I felt a painful twisting in my gut. I merely flicked my eyes across the timetable professor Snape had placed next to me and started to have a long think about suitable adults who I could inform.

While everyone left for lessons, I made my way to the owlery and wrote a letter to someone I knew would always help me when I asked. My mother.

 ** _Dear Mother,_**

 ** _I need some help regarding a problem that's arisen recently and I have no-one else to turn to. It's not my problem but it involves someone who is in a lot of trouble and she isn't in a position to ask for help. She didn't tell me everything but I have a good idea what she's not told me. I would have gone to Sev because it's his area of expertise, but she's not exactly his favourite student._**

 ** _Her problem is related to her home life and I've also picked up on a change in attitude towards certain people, including the headmaster. I'm going to try and help her in my own way by being nice and offering her someone to talk to but other than that there's not much I can do so that's why I sought out your help. Maybe you can give me some advice or even pull some strings so she doesn't have to go back to the hell she goes to every summer holiday. I'm not giving you her name because I don't want you to be biased, even though I know you probably wouldn't, but I also know you tell father everything and he would probably be biased. Got to go to potions now and make sure Sev isn't too harsh on her._**

 ** _Love from your son,_**

 ** _Draco xx_**

Neatly, I folded the parchment and called for an owl to come down. Surprisingly a beautiful snowy owl drifted down and landed next to me, her amber eyes staring right into mine. She hooted, stuck out a leg for me to tie my letter to, and soared out of the tower, gently brushing one of her wing tips against my face. Watching her fly out of sight I smiled, I'd just remembered that particular owl belonged to a certain black haired, green eyed Gryffindor. Jolted from my thoughts I rushed down the stairs, leaping down them three at a time, and dashed towards the dungeons. When I finally reached the dungeon where potions was taught I slammed the door open, which made everyone's attention land on me, and I stood looking at my godfather willing him to look into my mind. In a matter of seconds he'd seen why I was late and what I'd wrote to my mother. He gave the smallest of nods and said,

"Good morning Mr Malfoy, sit down and we will begin." Composing myself with quickly drawled "Yes, sir", I walked to the only seat available and lowered myself into it. Sev started to tell the class what things we'd be covering this year so I looked around disinterested because he had already told me what we'd be doing over the summer holidays and, occasionally, I had told him if I thought something on his plan was too harsh or difficult. Sneaking a glance at the person next to me I realised I had sat next to Harriet without noticing and she was desperately trying to hide in the shadows. Her eyes were locked onto something I couldn't see and her brows were furrowed as if she was worrying. I registered my godfather calling her name and I looked back at him trying my best not to glare at him as she jumped in fear. "Miss Potter!" Sev shouted, immediately making her jump again. "Could you repeat what I just said?" He sneered looming over the desk.

"E...Erm..." Harriet stuttered blushing in embarrassment, "he was talking about Polyjuice potions". I breathed quietly hoping she heard and Sev hadn't. "Y...you were talking about P...Polyjuice potions." she said stumbling over her words. Sev's sneer was replaced with shock for a second but then it was back again. "Ah so you were paying attention, well then could you tell me how long it takes to brew a Polyjuice potion?" He said in a loud condescending tone so that the whole class could hear. He strolled to the front and leant back on his desk, his black eyes locked onto her. Curiously, I watched her gaze flicker to Weasel and The Know-It-All Granger who were smiling at her knowingly. "It takes about a month sir." she stated so he could hear. He scowled and muttered, "That is correct Miss Potter." She let out a relieved sigh but he continued, "however as you were staring off into space and I had to call your name several times, that will be 5 points from Gryffindor and a detention with me after Fridays lesson." He smirked and began to continue teaching the class as she sank into her chair with a defeated sigh. Silently fuming at his actions, I clenched my hands into fists and counted to ten in my head, letting out a shaky breath. Harriet looked across to me and whispered "thanks". Flashing her quick smile I nodded and mouthed back "don't worry about it; he's just in a bad mood today". She smiled back slightly and mumbled, "When isn't he in a bad mood." chuckling quietly and trying to hide my grin I replied "true, true". Feeling a pair of eyes on me, I turned my attention back towards my godfather who was staring at me questioningly. I shook my head and got on with the theory work, ignoring all the suspicious looks he was giving us.

After Potions had finished was break and everyone dashed out of the dungeon as quick as they could. Harriet had bolted as soon as my godfather had dismissed us and judging by the way that she was covering her face I'm guessing her glamour was starting to wear off. Once the door had shut behind the last student, I walked up to the teacher's desk and stood frowning at Sev. Raising an eyebrow he asked me in a soft voice "What is it Draco?" unable to control myself I blurted out "Leave Harriet alone! You're always picking on her and you don't even know her. She tries her best in your lesson but you always put her down. If she is really as bad at Potions as you say then maybe you should re-evaluate your teaching skills, _Professor_." Leaving him to sit in shocked silence after I sneered his title; I stormed out of my godfather's classroom and had to miss my next lesson so I could cool down in my dorm.

At lunch, I waved off my friends questions with a look and scanned the hall carefully for Harriet. Brushing off her absence, I began to eat my lunch and catch up on what I missed in the lesson I'd skived. Suddenly Pansy Parkinson draped herself over me and squealed

"Draco, I missed you in class. Why were you so late to Potions? You didn't sit next to me so now my potions partner is Daphne and yours is that stuck-up Potter whore!" Gritting my teeth, I pushed Pansy off of me as gently as I could and stood up muttering I needed to go to the bathroom. Walking out of the hall, I stopped in the shadows and disillusioned myself, just in case Pansy tried to follow me.

Black hair flicked round the corner and I spun around to see Harriet walking into the great hall. Determined to talk to her, I weaved around the students milling about in the doorway, crept up to the Gryffindor table where Harriet was looking down at the food on her plate, and pushing it around with her fork unhappily. Gently I tapped her on the shoulder but it still made her jump and she dropped her fork with a clatter.

"Hey psst" I whispered in her ear. "Meet me in the owlery after care of magical creatures." she gulped and nodded to show that she would be there. Pleased to finally have a time set so we could talk in private I strolled out of the doors and as I walked down to the half-giants hut muttered the counter charm to make myself visible again.

Later when Care Of Magical Creatures had finally finished I made my way to the owlery. I spotted Harriet walking ahead of me but before I could take another step, I was tackled by someone. Groaning in pain, I opened my eyes to see Pansy's giggling face inches from mine. Furiously I shoved her off and hissed, "Get off me Parkinson!" The infuriating girl gasped and started to whine about me using her last name until I silenced her with a cold glare.

Striding up the owlery stairs, I heard a muffled yell and I ran up the rest to see a horrific sight. The disgusting weasel had Harriet pinned against the wall while his grubby hands tugged at her clothes and his lips muffled her cries for help.

Seething I grabbed the redhead by his hair and punched him in the face letting out all my anger with each punch. Breathing heavily, I stood over the pathetic excuse for a human being and wiped away the sweat from my forehead using the back of my hand. The weasel lay whimpering on the floor clutching at his nose and mouth.

Prickling on the back of my neck alerted me to Harriet gazing at me and I quickly snapped my attention to her, concerned for her wellbeing. Swiftly I walked over to her and held her arm to help her stay steady. Wobbling, she collapsed into my arms, small whimpers bursting from her mouth. Holding her tighter, I half carried her out of the owlery and headed to the hospital wing.


	5. Chapter 5 - The End Of A Disastrous Day

**Hey everyone, I'm really really sorry for taking so long to update! I've been busy with college and a few personal problems but I'm back. This chapter is just a bit of an extension of the previous one and I will be back to writing in Harriet's POV in the next chapter. Also when I noticed how many favourites and follows both the story and me were getting I was stunned. I sent my friend a text freaking out about how many people liked my story and she just told me that I should be scared, very scared because the more people that like my story, the more people there are to kill me if I don't update regularly. So yeah, lots of support and stuff from her. XD. This chapter is kind of just a filler and I don't know when I'll be able to put up another chapter but I'm working on it. Please don't murder me :P**

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 **DISCLAIMER:** **I STILL don't own Harry Potter or any of it's characters. *looks off into distance* *wipes away a single tear* I know, it's so sad.**

"Speech"

 **Flashback**

 _ **Letters and notes**_

 **DISHT = Draco Is Hot Too. (Shows the passing of time/ A time skip)**

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Carefully I set Harriet down on one of the infirmary beds and called for Madame Pomphrey. After looking at Harriet who was sitting on the bed and had dried tear tracks down her face then back to me with a suspicious expression, the woman pulled me to the side and enclosed the bed with the normal curtains.

"Mister Malfoy, could you please explain why Miss Potter is once again in my care?" The healer asked raising an eyebrow. Taking a deep breath, I began to describe what had happened in the owlery and when Madame Pomphrey made a small noise of disbelief, I sat on one of the empty beds and muttered, "I know you don't believe me but it's the truth. Harriet will tell you the exact same thing. If you're wondering why I'm being so civil it's because we've stopped bickering and we're friends now." Madame Pomphrey eyed me carefully and asked, "What's brought on this sudden change?" with a sigh I replied, "Do a full diagnosis scan on Harriet so you can see all of her injuries over the past few years and you'll see." Still sceptical Madame Pomphrey bustled off to her office and came back with a dreamless sleep potion. "She needs to be asleep for me to cast the diagnosis spell" Came the response to my unasked question. Nodding to show I understood I followed the nurse through the curtains and gave Harriet a pitying smile. Madame Pomphrey pulled the Potion from her expandable pocket and with a flick of her wand Harriet's clothes were transfigured into pyjamas. Harriet gulped down the sleeping potion, sighed, and instantly fell asleep.

Madame Pomphrey began chanting under her breath and moving her wand in a figure of eight pattern. While she did this, a roll of parchment appeared and began to fill with coloured ink. Stealing a look at it, I felt nauseous as my eyes read the words

10 – Broken nose, cracked ribs, fractured leg, arm, wrist, and jaw.

However, it only got worse with each year until finally it came to this year

14 – Fractured ribs, broken nose, black eyes, cuts, burns, bruises, broken wrist, dislocated shoulder, broken fingers on left hand, severely bruised spine, attempted sexual assault and self-inflicted wounds.

Madame Pomphrey let out a noise of horror and disgust as she read through the list of injuries Harriet had suffered. "Mister Malfoy, could you please use my Floo to go and get Professor Snape? I would call Professor McGonagall but Severus is less squeamish when it comes to this kind of thing." Her voice shook with ill-disguised distress.

In a matter of minutes, Sev stepped out of the green flames and we were all crowded around the parchment. Sev quickly read through the parchments contents and his normally cold neutral face morphed into one of horror and anger. He spun around and fixed a furious glare on me but I could see the guilt in his dark eyes.

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 **DISHT** **DISHT** **DISHT** **DISHT** **DISHT** **DISHT** **DISHT** **DISHT** **DISHT** **DISHT** **DISHT** **DISHT** **DISHT** **DISHT** **DISHT** **DISHT** **DISHT** **DISHT** **DISHT** **DISHT** **DISHT** **DISHT** **DISHT** **DISHT**

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I paced the Slytherin common room anxiously, my eyes flicking to the crisp, white, unopened letter on one of the chairs. What if my mother had felt offended that I couldn't trust her with the identity of who it was I'd mentioned? What if father had replied instead? Clenching my jaw and breathing out of my nose heavily, I sunk down into the chair and broke open the wax sealed envelope. With trembling hands, I unfolded the parchment and read through it very carefully.

 _Dear Draco_  
 _My beloved son,_  
 _I am ecstatic that you are not afraid to come to me for help like I've heard the Parkinson girl is, or so I've been told by her mother. I am slightly upset that you couldn't share this poor girl's identity with me but I understand your reasoning and I respect your decision. Naturally, your father also read the letter you sent me and he doesn't mind in the slightest that you thought he'd be biased. On the contrary, he is pleased you are looking out for the wellbeing of another and that you'd even defy your father to protect her. He says that as long as this mysterious girl doesn't do or say something to hurt you or even get you in trouble, then he is fine with you helping her and he hopes you don't focus too much on her so that you forget to look after yourself as well._

 _As for my advice:_  
 _Don't be too forceful in trying to get the whole story from her, if she's being abused at home then she will instantly shy away from a loud, angry tone of voice. Try not to make sudden movements or touch her when she's not expecting it, she'll flinch away and try to escape in any way she can. If she feels cornered or trapped, she may even resort to screaming and thrashing around violently. You're on the right track by being there for her to talk to and being a nice friend, keep that up and whatever you do, don't betray her trust by going behind her back. That is the worst thing you could do, as she will more than likely expect you to do something like that because everyone she's ever known has so why should you be any different. If this girl is in extreme peril at her own home, let me know and I shall see if I can get something done about it. In the meantime, don't forget to write if something interesting happens or anything else bothers you. I enjoy hearing from you, even if it's just about a particularly boring lesson or a student who's bugging you._

 _Hope you are well,_  
 _Love from your mother_  
 _xxxx_  
 _P.S: maybe you should tell Severus about this girl, despite how he feels about her. He's not the type to let an abused child suffer just because he doesn't like them. He is probably a better person to talk to rather than me, seeing as he has experience dealing with abused and neglected children._

Relieved laughter burst out of my mouth and I closed my eyes, tilting my head back so my face faced the ceiling. I sighed and stood up to go to my dormitory, the letter clutched to my chest. My mind began to analyse my mother's words and I frowned as I thought of her comment about Sev. Maybe she was right. Sev didn't seem to care that it was Harriet Potter lying on that hospital bed; he was still worried and concerned for her. I shook my head to clear my thoughts and got ready for bed. As I began to fall asleep, the image of what Harriet looked like under her glamour came into my mind and I knew that things were just getting started. Somehow, things would get worse, if that was possible, but I swore to myself that I'd stick by Harriet no matter what. With this determined thought, I drifted asleep.


	6. Chapter 6 - The Start Of More Trouble

**Oh my god! HOW THE HELL DID I GET SO MANY FAVOURITES AND FOLLOWS? I can't believe this! Thank you guys sooooooooooo much! I'm so amazed at how many people like this story. I feel kind of scared of how many people there are wanting new chapters now actually. Wow! :) I want to apologise for the long wait between this chapter and the last one. I've been quite stressed by college assignments and didn't have enough time to write but I finally had enough time to finish off this chapter which is shorter than the previous chapter but I hope you still like it. Anyway, enough of my excuses and freaking out over how many of you there are, time for the disclaimer.**

* * *

 **DISCLAIMER:** **Despite everything I STILL have no ownership of the Harry Potter franchise or it's characters. *cries***

"Speech"

 **Flashback**

 _ **Letters and notes**_

 _"Spells"_

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Harriet's POV:

I awoke to hushed whispers and a much too white room. Shadowy outlines told me there were two or three people talking, or more accurately arguing, outside the curtains. Cautiously I sat up and surveyed my surroundings, making mental notes about different escape routes just in case. The sound of my own name made my head snap back to face the figures arguing behind the curtain. Curious, I leant closer and strained my ears.

"-believe this! How could no one notice what was happening inside those walls?" A voice I recognised as Madame Pomphrey exclaimed in an angry disbelieving tone. I stiffened in fear as the next voice spoke.

"Calm yourself, Poppy my dear. There's no use jumping to conclusions. Harriet is perfectly safe there and you've seen yourself that there's not a mark on her. I do believe stress has caused you to hallucinate and make mistakes. You said something about mister Malfoy and dear Harriet being friends at one point which I think you'll find to be very unusual. You know better than anyone does just how much the two hate each other, given the number of times both have had to be treated for cursing each other in the corridors and between lessons." Calm, collected and persuasive, the voice of Albus Dumbledore chilled me to the bone.

"Really now, these are some very serious accusations Poppy. Don't you think that I, as Miss Potter's head of house, would have noticed that something was wrong?" Professor McGonagall said in an offended tone. Quietly settling back under the bed cover I feigned sleep just in time as I heard the curtains rattle and sensed someone walking to where I lay in the bed. From the sickly smell of lemon I guessed the person to be Dumbledore, after all who else ate lemon drops in the wizarding world other than that crazy, manipulating, old man.

"Albus, I have to request for you to stay away from my patient. She is asleep and doesn't need to be bothered at this point in time." Whisper yelled Madame Pomphrey in an exasperated tone. "It's alright Poppy; I just wanted to see if she was ok." Dumbledore said smoothly, walking away from me and once again closing the curtains.

Suddenly I heard the quiet voice of Dumbledore muttering _"Obliviate"_ I froze in terror and waited while Dumbledore told Madame Pomphrey what to remember. Dumbledore seemed satisfied with his work and exited the infirmary with McGonagall following behind him like a well-trained pet.

Swallowing nervously I crept out of my bed and saw that Madame Pomphrey was in her office with a slightly vacant expression. With a sigh, I changed into my normal clothes and walked out of the infirmary with a heavy heart. Draco had tried to help but it seemed like it'd backfired, with poor Madame Pomphrey in the firing line. I carefully wandered through the corridors until I came to one of the old abandoned classrooms. Sitting down on one of the desks, I rested my head in my hands and closed my eyes. Everything was getting worse and I had no idea what to do. After trying to come up with a solution for half an hour, I stood up and looked in my school bag for my invisibility cloak. It was past curfew and I really didn't want to run into Snape after the events of today so I grabbed the marauders map as well.

Whispering the code words, I carefully scanned the map until I found where I was and located where the teachers were. I walked out of the classroom and glanced at the map to make sure no one was close but I did a double take when I noticed a name I didn't recognise on the map. Barty Crouch Jr. I knew who Barty Crouch was but I'd never heard of him having a son.

Confusion and curiosity began raging in my head as I tried to work out what to do next. Curiosity won and I carefully made my way down to the dungeons where it seemed Barty Crouch Jr was lurking. Cautiously I peered around the corner of a corridor and noticed Mad-Eye Moody. Fear instantly flooded my body because I knew he could see through invisibility cloaks and walls. As silently as I could I tiptoed back the way I came, narrowly avoiding Filch as he skulked past me, and finally came to a stop outside Gryffindor tower. Looking at the map again just to make sure, there was no mistaking the name Barty Crouch Jr which still occupied the dungeons. My brain began to work furiously and I came to a frightful conclusion. Mad-Eye Moody was being impersonated by this Barty Crouch Jr and I could feel it in my gut that it was for a sinister purpose. Shuddering I entered the common room and walked up to the girls dorm. I knew that whatever sinister purpose Barty Crouch Jr was here for would involve me somehow and I would be powerless to stop it. With this chilling thought I drifted into a restless sleep.


	7. Chapter 7 - Too Much To Handle

**Hey everyone, I can't quite believe how many people are enjoying this story so far and I know my uploading hasn't been particularly consistent but it's the summer holidays for me now so I'll have more time to write and upload chapters :) a lot has happened since I last uploaded, for example I seem to have found a guy who wants to date me for some reason. So yeah I have a boyfriend now and I'm making him read all of the HP books because he's only seen the films and we all know they do a terrible job of explaining what's happening and miss out a lot of crucial information. Also on the 21st of July I will be going away for a few days so I wont be uploading anything for a few days but when I get back I'll go back to uploading more chapters.**

 **I hope you will enjoy this chapter, it took me a while to finish but here it is.**

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 **DISCLAIMER:** **Despite how much I wish I owned it, I have no ownership of the Harry Potter franchise or it's characters. *sighs sadly***

"Speech"

 **Flashback**

 _ **Letters and notes**_

 _"Spells"_

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 **WARNING: THIS CHAPTER WILL CONTAIN STUFF THAT MAY BE TRIGGERING FOR SOME PEOPLE SO IF YOU ARE LIKELY TO BE TRIGGERED BY MENTIONS OF SELF HARM PLEASE BE CAREFUL ABOUT READING THIS CHAPTER.**

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The next day when I woke up, I felt a sense of foreboding, as if something was going to happen today. Knowing that my instinct was usually right about these sorts of things I got dressed feeling anxious. I decided not to eat because there was a high likelihood that I'd just bring anything I ate back up again. I wandered through the corridors until I found myself in a familiar bathroom.

"Who's there? Have you come to make fun of me again?" Said a shaky, tearful sounding voice. "No Myrtle, it's just me." I replied as she came into view. Moaning Myrtle gave me a smile and said, "Oh hey Harry, it's been a while." I nodded, sat down on the floor, and let out a deep sigh. "Everything seems to be going wrong now. I feel like I did in second year when you found me crying in one of the stalls in here." I admitted in a small voice. Myrtle floated down next to me and commented "Don't worry you'll be fine, I'll help you through everything because I've experienced a lot of this stuff myself." I gave her a weak smile "Thanks Myrtle."

Walking into Transfiguration I felt uneasy, I was merely centimetres away from the woman who watched one of her colleagues be obliviated and not raise a finger to help her. Throughout the lesson, I could feel the eyes of professor McGonagall on me until the double lesson was over and I could finally breathe.

I had Charms next which I usually enjoyed but I still had a foreboding feeling in my gut so I was distracted the entire lesson. Professor Flitwick was teaching us how to perform the summoning charm and I was the only person having trouble due to my distracted nature. At the end of the lesson, everyone had mastered it apart from me and he set me homework that consisted of practising.

Lunch followed but I didn't go down to the hall, I sat up in the astronomy tower trying to work out what it was I could sense. There was a heavy feeling in my gut and over the course of the day it had gotten worse, so whatever the thing I could sense was it would happen soon.

Remembering I had to get to class, I got up and slowly made my way to Defence Against the Dark Arts. It was only when a gruff voice commanded us to come in that I remembered who was teaching us, and the feeling in my gut suddenly made sense.

"c'mon in and sit yourselves down. For the very few of you who don't know who I am, my name is Alastor Moody, ex-Auror for the ministry of magic and your new teacher. Any questions?" Barty Crouch Jr growled, the electric blue enchanted eye whizzing around in its socket as it flickered across each student. "Constant Vigilance!" he suddenly exclaimed making the whole class jump. "That's what you need to survive, constant vigilance will prevent all manner of attacks and ambushes taking you by surprise." He turned around and started writing on the board which may have made the rest of the class relax but I wasn't going to let my guard down that easily. This man was not who he claimed to be because the map is never wrong and will show any persons real identity even if they're invisible or in some other kind of disguise. Sure enough, he shouted "Constant vigilance!" and yet again the class jumped except me. He spun around with a feral looking smile and asked "Now who can tell me what an unforgivable is?"

"They're curses that the ministry has deemed unforgivable." Answered Hermione in a quiet voice. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes; she could never let anyone else have a chance at answering a question. "Correct miss Granger, now can you tell me why/" replied Barty with yet another feral grin. "Because they're unforgivable, sir." She replied in a shaky voice. This intrigued me, I'd never heard of these curses since entering the wizarding world yet they sounded like something important that everyone should know about. "Correct again miss Granger, The use of just one of these curses on another living person can earn you a one way ticket to Azkaban." Barty growled out, writing the words unforgivable curses on the board before turning to face the class once more.

"now can anyone here tell me what the three unforgivable curses are?" he asked both eyes staring at each face in front of him in turn. Surprisingly the person to put their hand up next wasn't Hermione; it was Ron.

"My dad did tell me about one… The erm, Imperius curse?" he stammered nervously. Bartys face grew more serious and he nodded "oh yeah, your father would know all about that one, it gave the ministry a great deal of trouble in the last war." As he spoke, Crouch Jr opened up a jar of spiders and enlarged one of them with a muttered _engorgio_. I hid a smirk as Ron squeaked in fear but when 'Professor Moody' also muttered _Imperio_ , I focused. He made the spider do cartwheels and flips across the desk and a few people started to laugh but were quickly silenced when Barty snarled "Think that's funny do you? How would you feel if this was you huh?" The spider began to tap-dance and no one laughed this time "Complete control, I could make it jump out the window, drown itself, cram itself down one of you throats, -" It was at that point I heard Ron gag and push his chair away from his desk at the front. "- this curse overpowers a person's will and forces them to do whatever the caster wishes. You can see why this spell can cause problems for the ministry now can't you? After the dark lord was defeated many of those who took part in activities ordered by him or who openly supported him claimed to have been under this curse but here's the thing, how do you sort out the liars?" Barty spoke this with such anger that a few people jumped in alarm. I felt the heavy feeling in my gut again. Whoever Crouch Jr was, he certainly wasn't afraid of using spells like that and seemed to have some experience as he described how it made the person feel when under the curse. "right, who can tell me the next curse?" he asked having put the spider down on the desk. I looked around and was surprised to see Neville's hand slowly rise up.

"The… um.. the C… Cruciatus curse." Neville whispered timidly and I felt a rush of sympathy for him. "Ah yes, the torture curse." Said Barty as he picked up the spider and placed it on Neville's desk. "A particularly nasty curse that was favoured by the dark lord and his followers to get information. It causes the one under it to be overcome with unbearable pain like so." He waved his wand at the spider and growled _Crucio_. The spider twitched and jerked violently and a high pitched noise seemed to be emitting from it. If it had a human voice I was sure it would be screaming in agony and I glanced up at the imposter Moodys face which looked pleased with what was happening. Shuddering I glanced at Neville and was shocked to see him looking so upset. "Professor?" I called trying to snap him out of it "Professor Moody!" I said louder, more urgently. 'Moody' looked up at me then to Neville who looked white as a sheet and lifted the curse from the spider which collapsed on the desk in exhaustion.

Barty cleared his throat and picked up the spider which he placed on my desk and looked around the room expectantly. "Does anyone want to give me the last curse?" he asked in a quieter voice than before. Suddenly I felt the sense of foreboding again and I remembered the dreams I used to have about the night my parents died. Logic told me that it was possible that was the last curse. "Is it the killing curse by any chance?" I mumbled nervously. Barty looked surprised but quickly masked it. "Yes the final curse is the killing curse. It was one of the dark lords favourites and no one has ever been known to survive it except one." He looked down at me, his normal eye and enchanted eye staring directly at where my scar was. He broke his gaze from my forehead and directed it at the spider. _Avada Kedavra_. A flash of green light accompanied by a rushing sound caused the spider on my desk to drop down dead with its legs curled inwards.

A strange sense of déjà vu hit me and I realised that was how my parents had died; blinding green light, the rushing noise of death approaching and then nothing as they fell down unmoving on the floor. I stared at the spider for a few minutes longer, ignoring the stares from the others in the class and trying to hold back the tears that desperately wanted to escape my eyes. Before I knew it, the end of the lesson had come and it was time for history of magic. As I slowly stood up, I met the eyes of Neville who looked as bad as I felt.

"Hey Neville." I said walking beside him. "Oh, hey Harriet, that lesson was something wasn't it?" He responded in a small voice. I merely nodded and we walked in silence to our next lesson. We both sat at the back and as Professor Binns began his normal droning, I began to think over the previous lesson. I wasn't sure what he'd said towards the end but something inside me told me it wasn't good. As the lesson wore on I felt myself becoming less alert and I stopped analysing Barty Crouch Jr, instead wondering how Dumbledore was planning on screwing up my life this year. By the end of the lesson, I was feeling less confident and instead of going to dinner, I ran to the nearest bathroom and locked myself in a stall.

Silent sobs shook my body and I sat on the closed toilet lid trying to control myself. In the end, it became too difficult and I gave in, sliding a small plastic container out of my bag. Inside the plastic container was a few things I used to cope: muggle sleeping pills; for when I had nightmares and didn't want to get dreamless sleep potion from the infirmary. A rubber band; which I'd ping against my wrist when trying to prevent myself using the third thing. Finally, a small blade I'd managed to unscrew from a muggle pencil sharpener. I shakily reached for the third item, etching five quick little marks into my arm and then as I looked down at them I felt sick. If anyone found out they would call me messed up and they wouldn't be wrong. Why couldn't I cope with things like normal people? Why was I so weak that I had to revert to these methods? I closed my eyes and shook my head, shame, and self-loathing flooding my thoughts. Carefully I placed everything back into my school bag and rolled my sleeve down again. Taking a few deep breaths, I exited the stall and found myself face to face with Myrtle.

"Harry, I know what you were doing." She stated in a sad voice. I opened my mouth to instantly deny it but the look on Myrtles face made me stop. "Harry you forget that I was a muggleborn and I know all about the things you have in your bag." She was frowning at my bag which I shifted behind me a few centimetres, ashamed of what she'd caught me out on. Trying to remain calm I desperately looked around, thinking of things I could say but when I opened my mouth all that came out was "I can't help it." After I said that, I broke down and the tears wouldn't stop. Myrtle joined me where I had collapsed on the floor and tried to cheer me up as the tears kept falling. "Harry listen to me, you'll get through this. You're stronger than I ever was so I know you will manage to get through this." Myrtle said encouragingly. I took a gasping breath and tried to stop but everything had built up from over the summer and the few days at Hogwarts had just added to my problems so now everything was coming out. I sat there gasping for air between sobs and shaking from the raw emotions that had overwhelmed me.

Unsure of what to do Myrtle backed away and disappeared, reappearing moments later with a guilty expression. "I'm sorry, I know you'll hate me for this but it's for the best." She said with a sad expression. For a second I was confused until I noticed a figure in the doorway. I felt fear and betrayal course through me but it dissolved into another bout of uncontrollable sobs.

"You did the right thing Myrtle." Murmured Professor Snape, walking into the room and scanning his eyes over me, an unreadable expression on his face. I went to shuffle backwards but Snape moved quickly and placed a hand on my shoulder, preventing me from moving very far. "I can take it from here." He nodded to Myrtle who floated away and then he looked back to me. "Up you get Potter." He said and lifted me to my feet. Unsure what he was going to do I stood in place trembling, my eyes locked on the floor. "Follow me to my office under your cloak." He instructed in an emotionless voice that gave nothing away. I gulped but did as he said, following him anxiously down to the dungeons where his office was.

Once we were safely in his office with the door shut and charmed, Snape turned to me with a sigh. "Professor, I'm fine really, I'll see you in detention on Friday." I blurted out after finding my voice again and walked over to the door only to find it locked. Panicked I started rattling the door and when it didn't budge I turned around slowly to find Snape watching me carefully. Holding back tears again I began fiddling with the sleeve of my jumper and occasionally chewing on it. "You look so much like your mother when you do that." Stated a soft voice. I froze and glanced up at Snape who was watching me intently. "In fact you look a lot like your mother except the colour of your hair and the glasses." This time I saw him speak in that soft voice and I was terrified. "Harriet I know you're probably not alright and me acting so nice has probably terrified you but you need to trust me. I'm going to help you." He said coming closer to me. I felt a tear slowly trickle down my face and I tried to ignore it but Snape had seen it. "Come on Harriet tell me what's wrong, I've noticed you've been different since the start of this week." He said softly, placing a hand on my shoulder but letting go when I flinched. "D…Don't touch me!" I exclaimed reflexively, taking a step back and cowering slightly. I realised what I'd done and looked at Snape hesitantly, scared to see his reaction. "It's alright Harriet I'm not going to hurt you." He said in a calm voice as he backed away. I swallowed nervously and began fiddling again. "Harriet what's that?" he suddenly asked in a stern voice. I frowned in confusion and then realised I'd pulled up my sleeve by accident and the recent marks were visible. "N…Nothing!" I squeaked immediately and pushed it back down but Snape wasn't fooled. "Let me see them." He commanded and reached out an arm. I reluctantly shuffled towards him and let him pull up the jumper sleeve. "Oh Harriet, What have you done?" he whispered shaking his head. I suddenly felt very sick and dizzy and before I could do anything, everything went black.


	8. Chapter 8 - Hiding The Truth

**Hello, I didn't die! I'm still alive and I'm really really sorry about not uploading during the holidays but I've been a bit busy and whenever I sat down to write this story my mind would go blank. I want to say thank you to all the people who've reviewed, I really appreciate you taking the time to comment on my story and thank you to all the follows and favourites. This chapter took me a while to write but hopefully it's long enough to tide you over for a little bit longer while I try to get some more written. The thing is I have all the different tasks written out and the key parts but it's just a matter of writing the bits in between.**

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 **DISCLAIMER:** ***Sighs deeply* Unfortunately** **I have no ownership of the Harry Potter franchise or it's characters.**

"Speech"

 **Flashback**

 _ **Letters and notes**_

 _"Spells"_

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Snapes POV:

Silently transfixed on the unconscious form of Harriet Potter though my eyes were, I didn't fully register my surroundings as I was too caught up in my own chaotic thoughts. I had sworn an oath to protect this girl and although I had felt a deep rooted loathing for her due to the shared similarity's with her father, I could no longer pretend she was just Potters child. Her emerald green eyes full of unshed tears had thrown me of guard because they looked eerily similar to Lily's. They reminded me of how she'd reacted when I lost my temper and called her that dreaded name. Closing my eyes to try and block out that terrible memory I wiped away the slight moisture that had gathered on my cheeks.

After regaining my composure, I straightened up and set my face into my typical scowl. There was something I had to do but as I looked back at the girl who looked so much like Lily, I paused for a few moments and wrote a note for if she woke up while I was gone. With that done, I strode towards the fireplace, threw some floo powder into the flames, and stated my destination clearly: St Mungo's.

Harriets POV:

Slowly I opened my eyes and sat up looking for the Potions Master, who had partially been the cause of my collapse. Finding myself alone I stood up and noticed a piece of parchment with my name on it. I grabbed it and as I got to the bottom of the page, my hands were shaking so bad the parchment almost ripped. In the note, Professor Snape said that he was going to get an expert Mind Healer to help deal with my issues and he would be back just after dinner. Terrified I tugged the door open and bolted as far as I could get away from the dungeons and Snape's office. Once I was sure I was far enough away from the dungeons as possible, I sank down onto the edge of a plinth and let out a shaky breath. After catching my breath I looked around and realised I was in a part of the castle I'd never been to before. Reaching into my bag I tried to find the map but for some reason it'd gone. Sighing I had no choice but to try and find my way back to the common room without it. Wandering down a random corridor, I found myself in front of a weird tapestry showing a wizard and two trolls all wearing pink tutus. Shaking my head at it, I continued to walk past it and found myself at a dead end. Confused by the sudden dead end I started pacing and trying to work out why there was a random dead end because there weren't any other dead ends in the castle as far as I could recall. Suddenly I was aware of a door in the wall opposite the tapestry that I was certain wasn't there before and although I had no idea where it would take me, I found myself with the urge to open it.

Opening the door, I let out a gasp and stared wide-eyed at the room I saw. It was a library even bigger than the one everyone already used. Still in awe of the library's size, I scanned my eyes over a few of the books nearest me on the shelves that went from floor to ceiling. One book in particular caught my eyes and without thinking, I grabbed it. The effect was instantaneous and I felt myself be thrown backwards from the shelf and out of the door.

Breathing heavily I sat up and looked at the stone wall where the door had been moments before. With a sigh I got to my feet and realised, I still had the book in my hand. The title; Altering the Mind and Other tips and tricks, had caught my eye because I was wishing for a way to make Snape forget about what he saw. Thinking quickly I shoved the book into my bag and walked away from where the room just was, trying to think of a way to read the book without being seen or found.

After wandering around the corridors, I finally found my way back to part of the school I recognised and I carefully made my way to the astronomy tower without people seeing me. As soon as I got up to the tower I sat down and read the book.

A few hours later after I'd read the whole book and practiced the wand movements I used my invisibility cloak to sneak back down into the dungeons and managed to slip into Snape's office. He stood there with his back to me, which was perfect but something in me made me paused. For some reason I just couldn't bring myself to hit him with a spell from behind, it just felt wrong. Shaking my head I lowered my wand, not sure what to do next. I turned around to walk back out of the door but I accidentally stepped on part of the cloak and it fell off. I squeaked in surprise which made Snape turn around. "Harriet? What's going on?" he asked with confusion and concern evident in his voice which made me feel even worse about what I'd been trying to do.

Swallowing nervously I stepped towards him and raised my wand again. "I'm sorry about this but I have to do this." I whispered hoping he could hear the regret in my voice. He took a step back in alarm and I could feel tears trickling down my face as I said " _Obliviate_ " in a soft voice. I let out a small sob as his eyes glazed over and I wiped his memory of everything he had seen from when he was contacted by Myrtle to that second. Self-loathing filled my body as I saw a memory of him flooing to St Mungo's to contact a mind healer for me but then deciding not to because he thought it would be more stressful so he came back. As Snape's eyes became more focused, I crept out under my cloak again and walked a few corridors away where I stopped and leant against a wall. Silent sobs wracked my body as I came to turns with what I'd just done. It was what Dumbledore had done to poor madam Pomfrey and I slid down the wall feeling like the most horrible being in the world.

Draco's POV:

Worried thoughts ran through my head as I walked down into the dungeons, I hadn't seen Harriet at dinner and she'd been avoiding me all day. Sighing I walked down one of the dark passages but stopped when I could hear sniffing and gasps from somewhere nearby. Frowning I looked around and called out. "Harriet is that you?" I heard a sob in reply and before I could trace where it'd came from Harriet suddenly appeared from underneath an invisibility cloak. I was shocked to see her face streaked with tears and her eyes red and puffy. "What happened?" I asked in a gentle voice, reaching out a hand to help her up. "Oh I've done something absolutely dreadful Draco." She sobbed before throwing herself at me and crying into my chest. I stood there holding her in an embrace until I heard voices coming down from the entrance hall and, after some fast thinking, I draped the invisibility cloak over us and moved us into the shadows so we wouldn't get walked into. After the group of people passed, I decided to take charge. "Harriet you're going to stay the night in my room tonight because you need a friend right now." I said, wiping away her tears with some tissue I'd conjured. Harriet gulped back a few more sobs and just nodded to show she agreed.

Noticing her legs were shaky and threatening to give out I carefully picked her up and felt sick when I felt how light she was. I made my way through the secret door to the common room and felt glad that nearly everyone was at dinner except a few older students who were studying in the corner. Silently I walked up the stairs to the dorms and stepped into the room I had to myself. I pulled the cloak off and set her down onto my bed while I sat next to her and enveloped her into a hug again. "Tell me whenever you want to, I'm not going to force you to do anything." I whispered in her ear soothingly while I gave her another tissue. She gave me a nod and mumbled "Thank you Draco" before her eyes slowly drifted shut. Smiling sadly, I laid her down on the bed and pulled the covers over her before transfiguring the armchair I had in my room into a sofa and laying on that. I sighed and crossed my fingers that the next day wouldn't be as stressful for the black haired girl who was currently asleep in my bed. "Whatever happens, I'll stick by you." I muttered before also drifting off to sleep.


End file.
